Heart in Her Mouth
by itstoomuchpressure
Summary: Iphigenia Innes grew up in a quiet little town as the weird girl who strange things happened to. Never in her wildest imagination would she have thought that it was all because of magic. She's having a hard time believing that she belongs but when George and Fred Weasley take her under their wing she quickly learns that true friendship knows no bounds.
1. Iphigenia's 11th Birthday

Iphigenia's 11th Birthday

June 29th, 1990

"Happy birthday, dear Genie! Happy birthday, to you!"

The birthday girl squeezed her grey eyes shut as her mother set the cake in front of her, all 11 candles burning brightly, and she thought of her birthday wish.

_I wish something incredible would happen_ _to me._

She took a deep breath then blew out the candles all together, making sure not to take an extra breath. Iphigenia was a firm believer in wishes so she had to make sure this one counted.

Iphigenia Elise Innes was, by all accounts, a very normal girl growing up in the very normal town of Cokeworth, England. She lived in a small one story house with her mother and step-father and all of her books for company. She didn't have any friends and she ended up spending most of her time reading. There were plenty of children around her age in the neighborhood and at school but they didn't want anything to do with Iphigenia.

You see, weird things tended to happen around Iphigenia. When she was only five she tried making friends with another girl in her day care. When the other girl refused to share the doll she was playing with, Iphigenia couldn't help but get upset. As she tried to hold in her tears the doll caught fire in the other girl's hands causing her to drop the doll. Once the other girl had let go of the doll the flames extinguished and the doll was left looking just as it had, as if it had never been on fire. Iphigenia hadn't been in trouble at school because of it but her step-father hadn't been so happy when the teacher called home to explain the situation. He made sure to punish her by sending her to bed without dinner and without her books.

Another time a few summers ago, Iphigenia had been playing with a kitten at the neighborhood playground. She swore that the kitten was actually understanding what she was telling it, when a group of boys from her school came up and demanded she give them the kitten to play with. Iphigenia knew that the boys wanted to harm the kitten so she tried protecting it from them. She had held the kitten against her body, whispering for the boys to leave her and the kitten alone as she squeezed her eyes shut in fright. The next thing she heard was the boys shouting from farther away than they should have been. Iphigenia opened her eyes only to find that she was still cradling the kitten but she was now sitting on the top branch of the tree she had been originally sitting under. Again, her step-father was furious as he stood with the firefighters trying to get her and the kitten down. And, once again, she was sent to her room without access to any of her books, no matter how much she tried to explain that she hadn't done anything.

Both of those episodes had been the most noticeable, but plenty of other little things happened to Iphigenia all the time, no matter how much her mother ignored them and her step-father punished her for them. Most of the other kids in the neighborhood stayed clear of Iphigenia, knowing that strange things always happened around her. If her mother ever asked, Iphigenia didn't mind the solitude but if she was being honest to herself she would have probably made her birthday wish something more along the lines of '_please let me make a friend this year_'.

So here sat Iphigenia and her mother at the small dining table for two in their modest kitchen, celebrating Iphigenia's 11th birthday by themselves, her step-father having left early for work.

"What did you wish for this year, Genie?" Her mother, Agnes, asked before taking a bite of the chocolate, toffee, peanut butter cake she had made that morning. Iphigenia gave her mother a look of exasperation.

"Mom!" She exclaimed, almost throwing her fork as she threw her hands up. "You know I can't tell you if I want it to come true!"

Agnes chuckled and nodded. "Alright, that's fair. However, if it had anything to do with what you wanted as a gift, you should probably give me a clue."

Iphigenia became more subdued and shoveled as big a piece of the cake as she could fit into her mouth, trying to bide her time before she answered.

The Innes family didn't have a whole lot of money - being a single mother of a growing child with the salary of a store clerk wasn't the most lucrative of situations and her step-father, Bruce, was a construction worker who only had an income when his crew had an active project. Iphigenia knew her mother couldn't afford the same things that the other kids' parents could, but she truly didn't mind. As long as they had each other and Iphigenia had a new book to read, Iphigenia could do without the latest toy craze.

"I didn't ask for anything in general, mom," Iphigenia said without looking her mother in the eyes, "it's okay."

Her mother opened her mouth and was about to tell her daughter that she needed to act more her age and shouldn't concern herself with money, but she was cut off by a knock at the front door. Agnes almost ignored the person at the door but her daughter was intrigued and got up to answer it. Agnes followed close behind, knowing that they weren't expecting any visitors. Iphigenia opened the door just as the person on the other side had lifted their hand to knock again.

A stern looking woman with her black hair pulled back into a bun stood outside with her hand poised to knock. She wore a long, long sleeved black button down dress and had glasses perched on the edge of her nose.

"Good morning," The lady said, looking between Iphigenia and her mother. "My name is Minerva McGonagall, and I believe this young lady must be Iphigenia Innes."

Agnes put her hand on Iphigenia's shoulder protectively, and regarded the woman.

"Can we help you?" Agnes asked, trying to be polite but also wondering who this strange woman was and how she knew her daughter.

"Yes, but I believe this discussion would best be taken inside, perhaps with a spot of tea." McGonagall said.

"I'm sorry, but we were actually in the middle of something. Now is not a good time," Agnes said, and she tried to shut the door but McGonagall pulled a stick from a deep pocket in her dress and waved it at the door. Agnes was unable to budge the door in either direction. "What is going on?"

"Has Iphigenia ever done anything strange that you couldn't explain?" Minerva McGonagall asked patiently before turning to Iphigenia and addressing her directly. "Have you ever had something happen that you would have thought impossible, maybe when you were scared or angry?"

Iphigenia glanced over her shoulder at her mother who was still struggling to move the door, her face more pale than usual.

"Mom," She whispered, having recalled all of the strange things that had happened around her. The last thought she had was the wish she had made not just 10 minutes ago. "I think we should let Miss McGonagall in."

Agnes stopped and looked between the unknown woman and her daughter, having been running over all of the strange incidents in her own mind as well, knowing that she could no longer ignore everything. Agnes stepped aside and gestured for McGonagall to enter their home. As soon as she had passed over the threshold, the door was suddenly free. Agnes shut the door and led the small group into the kitchen where she did indeed put on the kettle for tea.

For the next half hour or so Professor McGonagall, as Iphigenia had learned her to be, explained all about Iphigenia being a witch and her enrollment in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Professor McGonagall herself was the Transfiguration teacher (she explained Transfiguration as the art of changing one thing into another) but Iphigenia would also learn Potions, Herbology, Charms and Defense Against the Dark Arts just to start. Hogwarts was a huge castle in a hidden location with enchantments where Muggles (non-magic folk, like Iphigenia's mom and step-dad) couldn't stumble upon it. There were four Houses within Hogwarts that the students get sorted into their first year: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Professor McGonagall was the head of Gryffindor house. She even demonstrated some simple magic for Iphigenia and Agnes by filling a glass with water from her wand and repairing the crack that had been in the kitchen ceiling for as long as Iphigenia could remember.

"So when do I get to go?" She asked, practically bursting from her seat with excitement. Professor McGonagall smiled. She personally loved the times she got to introduce muggleborns to the wizarding world. Their excitement was unmatched and she could tell young Miss Innes would be a bright pupil. Even though she prided herself in remaining neutral to all the students, she couldn't help but think that Iphigenia would look rather spiffy in red and gold.

"You will pick up the Hogwarts Express at King's Cross station on September 1st." Professor McGonagall explained. "But first, if you don't have anything planned for today, we need to take you to get your school things. I daresay you might want a headstart on your reading material."

Professor McGonagall pulled out a small but thick envelope from one of her dress pockets and handed it to the young girl.

_Iphigenia E. Innes_

_Smallest Bedroom_

_Cokeworth, England_

Iphigenia didn't notice the worried look that had taken over her mother's face as she dedicated her full attention to the letter she had been given, ripping it open and reading carefully her school list.

"Professor," Agnes' voice shook slightly, "I'm not so sure that today is the best day."

Professor McGonagall turned to look at Agnes and started to get the feeling that perhaps this wouldn't be as easy as it had seemed. There was always some form of trepidation from Muggle families learning that their precious children were magical and McGonagall was always the professional - this is why Dumbledore entrusted her to this task and not, say, Professor Snape who would not have the patience required.

"Oh?" McGonagall said. "Perhaps I can return on another day before the start of term."

Agnes shook her head and gestured to the front room. "Do you mind if we speak privately, Professor?"

McGonagall nodded and Iphigenia barely glanced in their direction as they left the kitchen, too absorbed in the letter she had been given. She had just gotten to the list of books she would need for her classes. Agnes stopped as they stood near the fireplace, as far from the open kitchen door as she could get. McGonagall waited patiently as Agnes glanced fearfully between the front door and the kitchen.

"I'm not sure if we'll be able to send Genie to Hogwarts," Agnes told her, wringing her hands. One of McGonagall's eyebrows tweaked but beside that her face remained stoic. There were usually three main reasons Muggle families came up with for not sending their children to Hogwarts.

Number 1 - Money

"Please be assured that if money is the issue that the Headmaster has a scholarship set aside specifically for muggle-born students. We will make sure Iphigenia receives everything she needs, along with a little spending money once she's old enough to visit the nearby town, Hogsmeade."

"That's only part of the issue," Agnes admitted, glancing again at the front door. Professor McGonagall followed her glance and stiffened as she started to grasp the bigger picture. She had an awful feeling that it was the third reason why Agnes was hesitant, but McGonagall was nothing if not a professional.

On to Number 2 - Homesickness. Or rather, the parents projecting their insecurities onto their children.

"Students have access to owls which they can use to write to their parents. They are also allowed home for 3 weeks for the winter holidays."

Agnes gave her a small smile but she still wasn't comforted. Professor McGonagall sighed, having exhausted her other explanations for the woman's unease.

Reason Number 3 was never pleasant - being uncomfortable with their child's magical ability.

"Is Iphigenia's father around?" McGonagall asked, not unkindly.

"No, Genie doesn't know her real father, but her step-father is at work." Agnes finally looked up to meet McGonagall's gaze. "Bruce doesn't… he's not the best…. What I mean to say is that Genie's step-father has never physically harmed Genie because of the … magic."

Professor McGonagall did not particularly like the way Agnes had said the word 'magic' - it sounded quite similar to the way her colleague Professor Snape talked about Gryffindors, with a peculiar distaste.

"I see." McGonagall said. Agnes glanced towards the kitchen door again, making sure that her daughter wasn't eavesdropping.

"He does have a temper, though, and he is expecting Genie to attend St. Josephine's Academy for Troubled Girls this fall. He donated a lot of money to the school to get her a late admission."

"Mrs. Innes," McGonagall started, pulling her glasses off to rub away a smudge that wasn't actually there.

"Please, Agnes is fine."

"Agnes," McGonagall corrected, placing the glasses back on her face and looking once more at the nervous wreck of a woman in front of her. "I have a feeling that your daughter is not a Troubled Girl, as your husband would like to write her off as. She is a witch and I imagine that she will flourish at Hogwarts far greater than she would at a school for muggles."

"I don't think that is something you can really predict," Agnes said with a nervous chuckle.

"No, you may be right about that, however I can predict that Iphigenia will be a bright young witch who could grow up to do extraordinary things within the wizarding community. She will be around other students, her own age and older, all who are just like her - filled with magical abilities. I can predict that refusing her admittance into Hogwarts and forcing her to go to a school for troubled children will stunt your daughter's education and social life."

"I'm afraid her step-father will never allow it." Agnes told her, trying to sound firm.

"Mum!" Iphigenia exclaimed, running into the room fully unaware of the conversation that had been going on. "The letter says I can bring an owl, cat, or toad with me to Hogwarts. Please can I get an owl, please, please, please?!"

Iphigenia thrust the letter in her mother's face, unable to contain her excitement.

"We'll have to discuss everything with your step-father, Genie." Agnes told her, gently pushing the letter away. Iphigenia's face immediately morphed into disappointment and Professor McGonagall watched as the girl seemed to shrink into herself.

"So that means I'm not going, doesn't it?" Iphigenia said, sounding surprisingly mature about the situation, McGonagall thought. Agnes rubbed her forehead.

"I'm sorry, honey, you know how he feels when something weird happens." Iphigenia's eyes filled with tears and she swallowed around the thickness in her throat. She cleared her throat before folding the letter back up and tucking it inside the envelope.

"Thank you for the opportunity, Professor," Iphigenia said, staring down at her feet but holding the letter out for McGonagall to take back. When she made no move to do so, Iphigenia looked back up at her. The stern look on McGonagall's face almost made her glad she wouldn't be McGonagall's student - _almost._

"No need to thank me yet, Miss Innes. And you can keep the letter." McGonagall turned her stern glare towards her mother, having run out of patience. "I am shocked that you would allow your husband to hold back your daughter from her true potential. Were he her biological father I might hold my tongue but that is not the case. Only you can decide what is best for your daughter."

Iphigenia was shocked, to say the least, at the words her potential teacher had just spoken to her mother. She had never had somebody stand up for her before and her respect for Professor McGonagall raised to a level Iphigenia had never felt before. She glanced between the two women, watching as her mother's resolve crumbled before her eyes.

"Can you take her to get her things? I should wait here so I can explain to Bruce when he gets home." Agnes finally said. Iphigenia grinned and turned to McGonagall whose lips had also turned up in a small smile. She would worry about her step-father later.

As soon as Iphigenia was ready, which really she only had to slip her shoes on, McGonagall led her outside and told her to grab a hold of her arm. She did as she was told and not a second later was she experiencing the most unpleasant feeling she'd ever had. Everything went black and it felt like she was being tugged along a small rubber tube, being pulled from behind her bellybutton. She was just starting to think that she was going to die of suffocation when suddenly she heard a 'pop!' and her vision was restored. Iphigenia would have stumbled and fallen to the cobblestone they landed on had she not been gripping onto McGonagall's arm so tightly.

"Woah!"

Iphigenia realized they had just magically traveled to a completely different location, as they were now standing in the middle of a busy street full of shops. Everywhere she turned was something extraordinary. She saw owls flying around, other wizards and witches in their brightly colored robes moving from shop to shop. Even the shop names were amazing to Iphigenia - "Madam Malkin's Robes For All Occasions" or "Flourish and Blotts" and even "Eeylop's Owl Emporium". Iphigenia had no idea where to start so she turned towards her companion with wide eyes.

"Come along," Professor McGonagall told her, gesturing towards the robe shop. "I've already picked up your allowance for your school things and as much as I would enjoy spending the whole day shopping I do still have other things to attend to."

Iphigenia had to practically jog to keep up with the older witch's strides.

Along with a set of black school robes and the rest of her uniform at Madam Malkin's, McGonagall also brought her to Potage's Cauldron shop for her size 2 pewter cauldron, Slug and Jiggers for her potions ingredients and Wiseacre's Wizarding Equipment for her telescope, some quills and parchment, a new book bag that had an enchantment to make the contents weigh half as much as they do, and some other instruments and things that Iphigenia would need for her school year. McGonagall waved her wand and made all of their purchases disappear, telling Iphigenia that she was transporting them straight to her bedroom at home. She would find them placed in the second hand school trunk that they had purchased as well.

"Here we are," McGonagall told her as she came to a sudden stop outside one of the older looking buildings along the street. "Mr. Ollivander will help you get your wand. Here,"

Professor McGonagall gave Iphigenia the little red coin purse that she had been using to pay for all of Iphigenia's new things.

"I have one stop to make while you are getting your wand. The process usually takes some time and I do need to get back to Hogwarts before night falls. Go on in and I will meet you back here once I finish."

Before Iphigenia could respond, Professor McGonagall turned and headed swiftly back in the direction they had came. Iphigenia couldn't help as her nerves got the better of her and she took a deep breath, trying to calm down.

"Oi!" She heard two voices call simultaneously from behind her and she turned around. Standing in front of her were two identical red-headed boys, grinning at her from ear to ear.

"What do you think, Forge?" The one on Iphigenia's left said.

"I'm not sure, Gred." The one on the right replied.

"She looks like a firstie and she is in front of Ollivander's." The one on the left, Gred, she thought, said.

"That's an astute observation, Gred." Forge said, nodding emphatically. Iphigenia blushed and couldn't help but think that she was being made fun of, and suddenly she decided that she wasn't going to put up with it like she normally would have with her bullies at home.

"I'm right here, you know," She snapped, glaring between the two boys. "And your names can't possibly be Gred and Forge."

They both looked at her in surprise, but only for a moment as their grins quickly returned.

"Too true, young lady," Forge, on the right, said, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"As a matter of fact, my name is Fred," The one who had been called Gred said, grabbing Iphigenia's right hand and shaking it wildly.

"And I'm George," The one who went by Forge added, grabbing her left hand and shaking it in sync with Fred, her arms crossed in front of her. She giggled and shook their hands back in the same fashion.

"Pleased to meet you boys. I'm Iphigenia, but my mom calls me Genie." The boys had stopped shaking her hands and turned to each other. George scrunched up his nose and Fred crossed one arm over his chest, holding his chin with the other hand as if he was thinking about something important.

"Hmmm, Genie," Fred said, as if testing the name out loud. George shook his head slowly.

"No, that won't do…" He added. Fred nodded.

"Indeed, too close to-"

"Ginny!" They finished together. Iphigenia watched them back and forth as they consulted each other. She was fascinated and jealous all at once - how badly had she longed for a sibling all her life? And here these boys were twins! She could only imagine the sort of bond they had with each other.

At that moment her interest peaked at the variation of her name that they had come up with.

"I'm sorry," she hated to interrupt them, "but who's Ginny?"

George and Fred turned to her, again in sync with each other, and she was surprised to see them look grim.

"_Our sister_." The twins said. Her eyes lit up - _there were more of them?!_ The twins turned to their right, Iphigenia's left, and pointed down the crooked street. She lingered her eyes on the mole on George's neck before turning to look at the entire family of redheads standing in front of Quality Quidditch Supplies. The woman was obviously their mother and Iphigenia couldn't ever remember seeing such a lovely looking woman. She was wetting a handkerchief with her spittle before wiping dirt off another red-headed boy's chin. He looked younger than the twins and she assumed him to be their little brother. An even smaller girl, with longer straight red hair, stood behind their mother covering her giggle with her hand. She must have been Ginny. A slightly older boy with glasses watched and Iphigenia couldn't help but think he looked a bit pompous. She noticed one other red-headed boy, older than the rest of the children, staring at a broomstick in the window in awe - completely ignoring everything going on around him.

Iphigenia turned back to the twins and wouldn't be surprised if she had the same look on her face as the boy admiring the broomstick.

"Is that your whole family?" She asked them.

"That's most of them," said Fred.

"Ginny's the youngest," George said, holding up one finger.

"Ron's the one getting dirt rubbed off his face," Fred added, George now holding up two fingers.

"Then comes us," George said, giving Iphigenia a wink and adding two more fingers.

"Percy the Prat is there,"

"You'll see Charlie there at the window drooling over the new Cleansweep,"

"And of course, that's our mum." Fred finished. George was now holding up 7 fingers.

"But you're missing Bill, he's the oldest. Lives in Egypt as a cursebreaker." George told her, adding an 8th finger. Iphigenia hoped she would be able to find out what exactly a cursebreaker did because it sounded terribly exciting.

"And last but most certainly not least, our dad. He had to pop into work this morning, works at the Ministry."

"Wow," Iphigenia said, trying to wrap her head around everything. "That sounds,"

"Crowded?" George offered.

"Loud?" Fred added.

"Annoying?" George said. Iphigenia shook her head and grinned.

"Wonderful!" She told them. They looked at her in surprise. "I'm an only child and I don't have… many friends."

She tried not to blush at her almost admittance of have _no_ friends but they didn't seem to notice. _Or maybe they just didn't care_, she dared to hope.

"Where are your parents?" George asked, looking around. Iphigenia's smile dropped and she looked down at her feet.

"I only just learned I was a witch today," she told them, trying not to feel anxious as she suddenly realized what she would have to go home to in just a little while. "My mom and I were celebrating my 11th birthday while my step-father was at work when Professor McGonagall showed up at our front door. I'm here with her since my mom wanted to wait at home for my step-dad to get back from work."

Fred and George grinned at each other and then looked around in suspicion. Then they stepped closer to Iphigenia and leaned down closer to her face.

"Where's McGonagall?" Fred asked, whispering all of a sudden.

"What? Why?" Iphigenia asked. The twins shared a grin.

"She's our head of house at Hogwarts - we're 2nd year Gryffindors." George explained.

"We might be what some people like to call 'pranksters'." Fred said, using air quotes as he finished.

"Yeah, McGonagall's given us more detentions than anybody else at school - and only in our first year, too!" Iphigenia couldn't help but giggle at how proud they looked.

"I can't imagine that achievement made your mother very happy." She said, smiling to show them she meant to offense. They grinned back and shrugged.

"Well, she's already gotten one Head-Boy and Prefect, one Quidditch Captain and Prefect and one budding Prefect on the way." Fred said as he waved vaguely at his family. The boys shared a look.

"We figure they've got a handle on making sure everyone follows the rules but who's going to be there to make sure the rules get broken?" George said, once again exchanging grins with his brother.

They turned to her suddenly with solemn looks.

"You know, first year can be a tough time for some, Fred."

"Right you are, George." She looked between them curiously, her anxiety starting to flare up again. She hadn't even noticed it had gone away while she had been talking to the two boys.

"What do you mean?" She asked them.

"There's classes and homework,"

"Slytherins and their muggle-born bullying," They glanced at her. "Not that we care about that."

"Then you spend forever learning how to get around the castle,"

"Not to mention Peeves, glad we were able to make a pact with him last term."

"Too right, Fred. He'd make a frightening enemy."

Once again, Iphigenia was stunned by their back-and-forth.

"But," one of them was finally addressing her directly. George, she realized, was looking at her. "We can tell you've got something in you."

Iphigenia looked down at her stomach before George lifted her chin up, giving her an amused smile.

"Moxie!" He told her. She gave him a curious look.

"Just stick with us, kiddo," Fred said as he swept over to her side and threw his arm over her shoulder. She glared up at him.

"Don't call me kiddo," she said, a slight growl in her face. Fred looked frightened for a second before George swept up on her opposite side with a grin, imitating his twin's position. Iphigenia felt quite warm between the two boys.

"I told you, Freddie, she's got moxie." Fred nodded in agreement. "She'll do just fine."

"Look for us on the train, you can sit with us and our friend, Lee." George said. The boys started turning her back around to face the wand shop once more. "Now you're about to experience one of the most important moments in a young witches life."

The gave her a soft push towards the door and she stumbled forward, out from under their arms. She looked back at them as they waved at her.

"Go on then, don't be scared. Ollivander's weird but he means you no harm." Fred told her. They started to walk backwards to their family.

"Don't worry, I'd give you a 9/10." Fred said. George gave him an interested look.

"Really? I give it a 10/10 - shy take off but her landing was splendid."

"What are you talking about?" Iphigenia couldn't help but ask.

"First impressions. They're crucial." George said, his eyes wide and with a tone in his voice that sounded like she should have known what they were talking about the whole time.

"We'll see you September 1st!"

"And Happy Birthday!"

And with that, the twins turned around and ran off to rejoin the large family of redheads. Iphigenia watched for a moment longer - the mother had been searching around frantically for the twins it seemed, as she quickly scolded the boys upon their return. They seemed to say something to her as her face softened and she pulled them both into a giant hug. Iphigenia watched as the boys pretended to struggle only for them to give in and hug their mom back. With that, Iphigenia took a deep breath and turned back to the entrance of Ollivander's Wand Shop.

A bell rang above the door as she entered the dark shop and she took a look around. Shelves lined the walls from floor to ceiling, all of them haphazardly stacked with thin, long boxes that Iphigenia assumed each held a wand. She noticed the railings and ladders attached to the shelves in order to reach the wand boxes at the very top. It didn't look like there was any sort of organization in place and Iphigenia's anxiety started to return again as she realized nobody was coming out to greet her. She stepped up to the counter and looked around for this Ollivander that she had heard so much about.

"Hello?" She called out, softly. Iphigenia saw a customer bell on the counter in front of her so she mustered up some courage and quickly pressed the button, causing a loud ring to chime throughout the shop. Suddenly a ladder rolled into sight from between rows of shelves and Iphigenia jumped at the sight of the old man hanging on halfway up the ladder.

"Oh, hello!" He called as the ladder came to a stop at the end of the row. He climbed down, grabbing a few boxes at random as he approached the counter to stand opposite of the young witch. "And who might you be?"

Iphigenia gulped.

"Um, my name is Iphigenia," she said. At the last minute she thought to add, "Sir."

He nodded and opened one of the boxes he had brought over with him, dropping the others on the counter. He pulled out a dark brown wand and handed it handle-first to Iphigenia. She grabbed it and wondered if something was supposed to happen.

"Black Walnut, 9 and ⅔ inches with a Unicorn Tail Hair core. Very sturdy wand." He told her, looking down at her with expectation. He gestured towards the wand. "Give it a wave - _away_ from me, if you please."

Iphigenia blushed and turned to her left to point the wand away from Mr. Ollivander. She waved her wand in a circle and quickly threw her arms up to cover her face as the boxes were thrown of the shelf in front of her. Ollivander whipped his own wand out from his sleeve and made a motion that she couldn't quite see and the boxes all paused in mid-flight before gently gliding in the air back into their rightful, disorganized place on the shelves. Iphigenia chuckled sheepishly and handed the wand back to the man.

In turn he wandered down one of the other rows of shelves, pulling a long, white box out from the very bottom shelf.

"Poplar wood, 13 ½ inches, Thestral Hair - good for charm work." He said, pulling a long, white wand from the box and handing it to her. She waved the wand at a pot of flowers sitting on the windowsill but the pot cracked and fell apart. She sighed and set the wand on the counter as Ollivander once again undid her mistake and was once again off to find another wand for her.

She'd tried a very short 6 ¼ inch wand that Ollivander said would be a reliable partner in Divination but she hadn't even been given enough time to wave the wand before he plucked it out of her hand, tutting to himself. Next was a wand made of Yew with a Phoenix Tail Feather but the wand zapped her as if she had been shocked with static electricity and Ollivander had taken that one away, too. Then she'd gone through a slew of other wrong wands before Ollivander stopped to scrutinize Iphigenia.

"What did you say your last name was, child?" He asked her.

"I don't think I did. It's Innes, sir." She told him.

"Hmmm- Innes, you say?" He said, stroking the short, white beard on his chin. He looked up and around the shop as if searching for something. Then he returned to behind the counter, pulled out a very large and dusty old tome from underneath and dropped it on top with a loud, _thud_. He opened the cover and flipped through the pages so quickly, Iphigenia wondered if he was actually looking to see what was written on them. "I remember every wand I've ever sold but I don't have a record of anybody named Innes… where did your parents buy their wands?"

"Oh," she flushed involuntarily. "They didn't, or at least my mom is a- what do you call them? Muggle? And I never met my father, but my step-father isn't a wizard, either."

He then took her in from the top of her head, full of wavy black hair, to her striking grey eyes, all the way down her short (even for her young age) frame to her feet. His gaze hardened and he looked down at the book again, flipping back quite a few pages before finding the page he must have been looking for.

"I wonder," he murmured to himself.

"I'm sorry?" Iphigenia asked, anxiety once again causing her stomach to turn. Ollivander ignored her as he looked down the rows of shelves to his left and then down the rows of shelves to his right. He leaned over the counter and looked up at the shelves hanging from the ceiling over the counter and he hopped over and climbed up the tight spiral staircase to the dusty boxes overhead. She was surprised at how nimbly he seemed to move as he hung over the railing and just managed to grab a brown box with his finger tips. As he came back down the staircase he blew off the layer of dust that had attached to the outside and Iphigenia couldn't help the gasp that came out as he revealed the gold sheen that until now had been dulled.

He stopped in front of her and carefully pulled the top off, stacking the bottom inside. He pulled the wand out and Iphigenia watched eagerly as he produced a rag from his jacket pocket and gave it a quick polish before presenting the dark red wand to her with a flourish. Iphigenia couldn't stop her hand from shaking slightly as she reached out and grabbed the smooth handle of the wand, surprisingly warm to the touch despite having been stored away in a dark dusty box for who knows how long.

Golden light erupted from the wand and enveloped Iphigenia's hand, growing up her arm over her chest until her whole body glowed with warmth and light. She couldn't help the laugh that grew inside her and left her body as the light started to dissipate and she looked back up at the wand-maker with a grin. She already knew this was her wand but she was curious what Ollivander had to say about it.

"Very interesting," he said, handing her the box before going back around the counter and consulting the large book once more. He flipped through the book and then marked something down once he found the page he had been looking for.

"Could you tell me what is interesting?" She asked, setting her wand in the box and putting the top back on. Ollivander looked back to her.

"Your wand is 10 and ¾ inches, made of Dogwood with the core of a Dragon Heartstring. It is a very temperamental wand, especially if it takes after the dragon with which I got the heartstring from. She was quite formidable. However, once mastered it will prove to be the most powerful and loyal ally." He opened his mouth as if to say more but then he hesitated. "The dragon that gave me your heartstring only allowed me to have one other heartstring, allowing me to create a pair of wands - only a handful of wand pairs have ever been made."

"Did my wand's pair already get matched with somebody?" Iphigenia asked just as the bell above the entrance chimed. She turned and saw Professor McGonagall had finally joined them and she looked pleased to see that Iphigenia had her wand. Ollivander ignored her question just then, instead dipping a quill into his inkpot and jotting a quick note.

"10 galleons please," Ollivander said, rolling his note up and using his own wand to seal it. Iphigenia opened up the red coin purse that McGonagall had given her and, with McGonagall's help, pulled out the correct amount of money before handing it to Ollivander.

"I believe we'll be seeing great things from you, Miss Innes." Ollivander told her, turning then to McGonagall and handing her the note he had written. "This is for Albus, if you would be so kind, Minerva."

Professor McGonagall didn't even look curious as she put the note in her dress pocket and then turned to usher Iphigenia out of the shop.

"I believe you are all set then, although I do have one extra thing for you" McGonagall said as they had stepped outside. She turned and picked up a blanket covered cage that had been outside the door and she presented it to Iphigenia. "Happy birthday, Miss Innes."

Iphigenia grinned at the woman before lifting the blanket to reveal the beautiful black owl underneath. It was speckled with white and had a white chest which it puffed out with pride. It hooted and blinked it's big, bright yellow eyes before shuffling it's feathers and letting out a chirp.

"It's not everyday a young child learns they are a witch or a wizard." McGonagall said with a certain fondness in her voice before clearing her throat.

"He's a boy, and I would appreciate if you kept it quiet that I bought this for you. Teachers are not generally allowed to show favoritism towards their students - so don't expect any further treatment as such." Iphigenia looked back up at her future professor and was surprised to see the slight pink tinge to her cheeks and the soft look she was giving the young witch in return.

"This has been the best day I can ever remember, Professor. I'll never forget what you've done for me and I promise I won't say a thing about this." Iphigenia told her, bringing her hand up to imitate crossing her heart before grabbing the cage from McGonagall, who looked slightly shocked at Iphigenia's admission.

"I have had a pleasant afternoon as well, Miss Innes." McGonagall said. She looked at the watch upon her wrist and then frowned, before turning to look back up and down the street. She cleared her throat before addressing Iphigenia again. "I believe I still have some time before I need to return back to Hogwarts, so unless you need to return home immediately…"

McGonagall seemed to be waiting for her answer so Iphigenia grinned and quickly shook her head. McGonagall gave her a short smile again and nodded.

"Good. I have been craving Butterbeer Ice Cream and nobody makes it better than Florean." She turned abruptly and strode off down the street, Iphigenia took off after her, having to run to catch up.

So, that was how they ended their day, with Professor McGonagall treating Iphigenia to an ice cream - the both of them silently eating their sugary desserts as they thought about what would come next. Professor McGonagall, while eating small spoonfuls of her bowl of Buttercream Ice Cream, couldn't help the creeping doubts she had about bringing the young witch back home to her step-father. The girl's mother had not been very assuring when discussing their domestic situation. Minerva McGonagall was on the more progressive scale when it came to blood purity and, honestly, she had no patience for wizards who deemed muggles beneath them and muggle-borns unworthy of learning how to wield their magic. However, one thing she knew to be true of muggles and wizards alike- some people were just horrible.

She didn't want to assume the worst - she hadn't noticed any bruises on the girl and she seemed happy enough all day. She didn't want to take any chances, either - part of her justification in buying the girl an owl for a birthday present had been to build the girl's trust. Even if Iphigenia was sorted into a different house than Gryffindor once she arrived at Hogwarts, she wanted the girl to feel like she could come to her if she ever needed to.

Professor McGonagall was also curious about what had happened during her wand-pairing that had caused Garrick to write a magically sealed note to Albus. No doubt Albus would tell her, after he teased her about her apparent fondness for the girl, of course.

Meanwhile, Iphigenia was licking at her ice cream cone - one scoop of Rum Raisin, her absolute favorite, and one scoop of Butterbeer since she was intrigued by her Professor's choice. She was glad she had taken the chance, it was absolutely delicious! As she savored the dessert, she thought about the year ahead. She was anxious to start her school reading and the copy of _Hogwarts, A History_ that McGonagall had allowed her to purchase. Most of all she couldn't wait for it to finally be September 1st and she really hoped she'd be able to find the redheaded twins, George and Fred.

Once the two witches were finished with their ice creams, McGonagall transported them back to Cokeworth the same way they had left, hours before. The sky was darkened as the sun had started to set and Iphigenia couldn't help the disappointment she felt at how boring her home seemed now in comparison to the wonderful place she had just left. She only perked up at the thought that in just 3 short months she would be heading to Hogwarts.

"Now, here is your ticket for the Hogwarts Express," McGonagall pulled out a white ticket with gold filigree printed on top stating _Hogwarts Express - Platform 9 ¾_. "Your mother and step-father will not be allowed on the platform, but you will enter by jogging through the barrier between platform 9 and platform 10."

"I'm sorry, what?" Iphigenia asked, wondering if she had heard the woman correctly. Professor McGonagall chuckled at the girl's expression.

"Exactly as I said, Miss Innes. If you need assistance, I'm sure you'll be able to find somebody at the train station. I must take my leave now," Professor McGonagall stepped away and nodded at Iphigenia. "I'll see you on September 1st."

"Thank you, again, Professor." Iphigenia said, waving goodbye. McGonagall hesitated a moment before disappearing. 

"If for any reason you need help getting to King's Cross, please send me a message with your owl. He will be able to find me." And with a quick turn, Professor McGonagall was gone. 

Iphigenia grinned to herself before turning towards her home, her owl's cage in hand. She knew she had a lot of reading to start on but September 1st could not come quickly enough.


	2. A New Sense of Belonging

A/N: Thank you for the reviews and follows! They are much appreciated. Just a fair warning, I don't really like reading through long authors notes, personally, so I'll try to keep any I need to have short and to the point. Mainly I wanted to introduce my story's 'soundtrack'. I listened to a lot of Lord Huron and Of Monsters and Men while writing/drawing inspiration for this story and while I don't like long A/N's I do enjoy story soundtracks. For this particular chapter, I feel like the song Good Company by Bronze Radio Return matched the mood very well. I hope you enjoy!

A New Sense of Belonging

Bruce had not been home when Iphigenia had finally gone into the house. Agnes nervously explained that he had gone to the bar with his buddies.

Agnes told Iphigenia how she had discussed her attending Hogwarts in the fall and how Bruce eventually agreed to it. "But he's not happy about it. Best to stay out of his way for a while, Genie."

That was no problem for Iphigenia who would really prefer not to interact with Bruce ever again, if she could help it. Instead, she spent the rest of the insufferably hot summer in her bedroom reading as much out of her school books as she could. Admittedly, there was a lot that she didn't understand but her favorites to read through were _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_ and _Magical Drafts and Potions_. She was fascinated at the different potions and read many of the instructions over and over again until she had memorized the Antidote to Common Poisons (she was disgusted when she had looked up what a bezoar was) and the Sleeping Draught which she learned could turn deadly if you messed anything up.

She had ended up reading _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_ at least three times, cover to cover. Her favorite subject to read about were the dragons - she was most interested to know what kind of dragon had supplied her wand core. She supposed, based on Ollivander's comments on the dragon being temperamental and formidable, it could have been any of them. She shuddered at the picture of the Hungarian Horntail. She also thought Hippogriffs and Thestrals both sounded very interesting, the latter of which were mostly misunderstood by a lot of the wizarding world. She assumed that the reason for this was because you could only see them if you had witnessed a death otherwise they were completely invisible.

Iphigenia managed to only cross paths with Bruce on one occasion when she had brought Radagast, her owl, inside from catching a mouse one night. She had ended up naming her owl after one of the characters from _Lord of the Rings_ which she had started to read. Radagast, the owl, was in the process of tearing the rodent apart, as he liked to do, and Bruce had recoiled at the sight.

"You're going to bring in all sorts of diseases with that ruddy bird!" He exclaimed. Agnes had looked up from her book as she read on the couch but didn't intervene and pretended to go back to reading. Iphigenia scowled at her mother before acknowledging her step-father.

"He's really clean, I promise!" Iphigenia said, trying to brush past Bruce so she could put Radagast's cage back in her room. Bruce grabbed her arm with a lot of force and held her against the wall. Iphigenia cried out. "Let go of me!"

"Keep that bird in your room or I swear I'll put it down. Your mother may have agreed to let you go to this freak school, but I won't let you bring any of it back to this house." He let go of her with a slight push away and Iphigenia stumbled slightly and almost fell to the ground. She looked up at him and watched fearfully as he walked past, grabbing his coat from the hook by the door and his keys from the bowl on the table. "I'm going to the bar, nobody wait up for me."

Without a glance back he was gone. Iphigenia relaxed and straightened up before glaring over at her mother again. Agnes had her eyes glued to the book in her hands but Iphigenia could tell she wasn't reading as her eyes stayed perfectly still. She scoffed and went to her room, shutting the door quietly behind her. As angry as she was she didn't want to scare Radagast more than Bruce already had.

Iphigenia placed Radagast's cage on top of her dresser and opened the door for him. He hooted softly, seeming to be aware of the goings on around him, and she softly stroked his feathers. He ruffled in happiness and closed his eyes, making Iphigenia smile.

She just had to bide her time until September 1st.

Time seemed to drag for Iphigenia that summer but finally it was the day that she had been anticipating for 2 whole months since her birthday. She had chosen her outfit the night before, having gone through several different options over the past week before deciding on jeans, her white trainers, a red tank top, and a black cardigan. It was simple enough that it looked effortless, she hoped, but she purposefully chose the red tank top for luck.

She had read about the four different houses in _Hogwarts, A History_ and had come to the decision that she would really like to be in Gryffindor. It's common room was in the highest tower which meant it would have the best views of the grounds, she knew the head of house already and she remembered that the twins she had met in Diagon Alley were in Gryffindor, too. Red and Gold were the house colors so, therefore, she had gone with the red tank top. She supposed that if she couldn't be in Gryffindor then she wouldn't mind Hufflepuff, either. Ravenclaw sounded stuffy and Slytherin sounded like they were probably stuck up but honestly, how important could the house system be?

Iphigenia knew that Bruce had left early that morning, having been headed to the airport to go on a work trip to the US, so she had no problem dragging her trunk full of school things nor Radagast's cage into the living room. She was glad she wouldn't have to see him for at least 3 months and she was already considering staying at Hogwarts over the holidays. She had read that they specially decorate the castle for the few students who need to stay for one reason or the other.

Around 10 o'clock, Agnes and Iphigenia loaded her things into the car and they were headed to King's Cross Station. The ride seemed to take forever, In Iphigenia's opinion. Once there, they loaded her trunk and Radagast's cage onto a trolley and Iphigenia felt as if her heart was about to burst outside of her chest. They went inside and as they approached Platforms 9 and 10 Iphigenia stopped and turned to her mom.

"Well, Professor McGonagall said this was as far as you'd be able to go." She said, suddenly shy. Agnes gave her a tight smile and grabbed her shoulder, giving it a squeeze.

"Have a good term, sweetie." Agnes said. Suddenly her eyes were filled with tears and Iphigenia followed suit with a sniffle. "I'm sorry this summer has been tense. This has just been a lot to take in."

Iphigenia didn't know how to respond since it seemed like it was Bruce who was the only one with a problem, so she gave her mother a shaky smile.

"I'll try to talk to Bruce, too," Agnes told her. Iphigenia wanted to have hope that her mother could change his mind, but she didn't hold her breath.

"I'll miss you, mom." She said, moving forward and wrapping her mom in a hug. Agnes tensed at first before wrapping her arms around her small daughter. They quickly pulled away.

"You, too," Agnes said, tucking a strand of hair behind her daughter's ear. "Write to me, okay?"

Iphigenia nodded and then suddenly grinned as she looked over her mom's shoulder. Agnes noticed her daughter's attention drift and she turned around to see a large red-headed family headed their way, no doubt towards the barrier.

"Do you know them?" Agnes asked curiously. Iphigenia gave her mom a sheepish smile.

"Kind of," she admitted. "I met the twins when Professor McGonagall took me shopping."

"Oh," Agnes said, trying not to frown. "Well, I'll head off then if you want to catch up with them."

"Thanks, mom!" Iphigenia said, turning to catch up with the twins as they passed her and her mom. Agnes stayed to watch until she couldn't see her daughter anymore.

"Hey, George! Fred!" She called, pushing her trolley to catch up. The whole family seemed to have heard her and they all stopped and turned to her. She blushed at the sudden attention of not just the twins but the rest of the family as well. Fred and George grinned when they saw her.

"Iffy!" They exclaimed. She wrinkled her nose and gave them a questioning look.

"What?" She asked. They ignored her and George fell back to help her with her trolley as both his and his twin's things were on one trolley, currently being pushed by Fred.

"Everyone," Fred addressed his family, gesturing towards Iphigenia as her and George caught up with the clan. "This is Iffy, the girl we met outside Ollivander's!"

"You mean the girl you were pestering while you deliberately sneaked away from your mother?" An older man asked but with a smile on his face. He hadn't been there that day at Diagon Alley so she guessed this to be their father. Fred and George both shared a grin and shrugged innocently.

Iphigenia felt delighted that the twins had told their family about her and apparently had come up with a new nickname for her. She was sure now that they really had meant for her to find them on the train.

"Oh, my dear, you're a cute little thing, aren't you?" Their mother said with a kind smile on her face. "My name is Molly Weasley. Fred and George mentioned you were a first year? A muggleborn? Not to worry dear, we'll help you get on the platform!"

She rounded up all of her children and ushered them one by one through the barrier. Iphigenia was shocked as Charlie, the oldest one still attending Hogwarts, ran casually at the wall with his trolley and then disappeared. Percy followed quickly after then Fred with his trolley that had both his and George's things. George turned to her with a grin.

"What do you say, Iffy?" He asked. "We can go together if you're nervous."

She nodded with another blush as she stood up to the trolley next to George and grabbed the handlebar with both hands. They jogged together, him matching her pace since she was quite a bit shorter, and she clenched her eyes shut the closer they got to the wall. Before she knew it George was slowing them down to a stop and patting her on the back.

"Easy as a Cauldron Cake!" He exclaimed, "Open your eyes, Iffy."

She followed his lead and looked at the sight in front of her, in just as much awe as she had been when she landed in Diagon Alley. A hundred or so students stood around on the platform saying goodbye to their families and greeting their school friends as they met each other again on the platform. A scarlet engine with steam raising out of the smokestack sat on the track getting loaded with the students trunks and animal cages. Hogwarts Express was labeled on the front of the train in an elegant gold paint and Iphigenia grinned.

"Fantastic, isn't it?" She looked up and saw the twin's older brother Charlie grinning at her with his arms crossed.

"It's the most fantastic thing I've seen," she admitted before chuckling. "I have a feeling that I'm going to be saying that a lot."

Charlie laughed too. "That's alright - even having grown up around magic Hogwarts is something else. You're not the only one in awe."

"Thanks."

"Anytime," he said. He held out his hand for her to shake. "Dunno if Fred and George introduced me, but I'm Charlie. I'm a prefect so if you ever need help with anything you are welcome to find me."

"Thanks!" She said with a smile. "Uh, again."

"Hey, no hogging her," An arm wrapped over her shoulder from the right and she looked up to see George frowning at Charlie.

"Yeah, she was our friend first," Another arm wrapped over her shoulder from the left and she looked up to see Fred.

"Boys," she chided with a smile, "there's plenty of me to go around."

Mrs. Weasley chuckled and patted Iphigenia on the head.

"Careful you say that, dear, the boys will hold you to that." She warned. Iphigenia just smiled and would have said something but the train whistled and Mrs. Weasley suddenly turned into a super mom, addressing all of her kids who were headed off to school. Iffy couldn't help but watch, her stomach clenching with jealousy once again as she watched the family interact with each other.

"Charlie, have a great last year, please watch Fred and George and make sure they don't cause too much trouble." She said, grabbing Charlie by the shoulders before pulling him into a hug.

"I'll try mom, but please don't send me a howler if they don't listen to me." Mrs. Weasley chuckled and let him go to get on the train. She turned to the next eldest.

"Percy, dear, I know I don't have to remind you to be good or do your homework. Please write once in a while." She told him, cupping his cheek with a sweet smile.

"Yes, mother." She patted his cheek and he too turned away to hop on the train. Now she was addressing George and Fred.

"Fred," she looked at the one on the left, "George," she looked at the one on the right, "please try to stay out of trouble. No more exploding toilets, no more goading the poltergeist into pranking Slytherins, okay?"

"Mum," George said, rolling his eyes. "I'm Fred, honestly."

"Yeah, you tell us to stay out of trouble, but you can't even tell us apart." Fred added. Iphigenia frowned.

"Oh, Fred, George," she said, switching who she had addressed. "I'm sorry,"

"Excuse me," Iphigenia couldn't stand it and she stepped up to interrupt their moment. "I'm sorry, but you had them right the first time, Mrs. Weasley. They're teasing you."

Mrs. Weasley looked at her with wide-eyed shock before turning back to look between George and Fred who were looking at her, shocked themselves with Iffy's statement.

"You boys!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed, sounding upset but not bothering to hide that she was amused by their joke. She pulled them both into a hug and kissed each of them on the cheek before she let them go. They waved goodbye to their mother before turning to get on the trains themselves and Iffy went to follow. "Not so fast, dear!"

Iffy turned back to Mrs. Weasley in her own surprise as she was immediately pulled into a hug by the woman. Iphigenia immediately felt herself relaxing into the hug as she returned it, comforted by the motherly presence that the Weasley matriarch seemed to exude. She never felt this way hugging her own mother and she decided not to think too much into it at that moment. "I can't believe they managed to fool me," she pulled away and held Iffy by her shoulders, giving her a tender and loving smile. Iffy couldn't even ever recall her own mother giving her a look like this one. "I can tell we're going to be seeing more of you. See if you can keep the twins in line, can you?"

Iphigenia chuckled and promised she would try before turning back towards the train as it whistled once more. She saw that George and Fred were still waiting for her and she jogged to catch up with them.

"Sorry about her," Fred said as they wandered down the train corridors with their trunks, George holding Radagast's cage for her.

"Yeah, she's a bit overbearing really." George added, throwing her a smile over his shoulder. Iphigenia grinned in response.

"I think she's great. Tried to get me to keep you in line, even." I told them with a chuckle. They stopped outside an empty compartment, each of them laughing. "Yeah, I didn't think it would be possible, either. Not like I'd try, anyway. I want to see why everyone's deemed you two 'pranksters'."

"My dear Forge, I think we might have been a bad influence on young Miss Iffy here." Fred said.

"I do believe you're right, Gred."

"Oh, well,"

"Too late now, really,"

"Guess we've got to go for the full corruption, eh Forge?"

"Agreed, Gred."

Iffy shook her head with a smile, pushing past the twins to enter the compartment and grabbing Radagast's cage from George as she went by.

"Well then, you two can stow my trunk for me if you plan on corrupting me." She said, sitting down by the window just as the train started up. "Seems like the least you could do."

"Real cheeky, eh Gred?" George grumbled, lifting her trunk and stowing it above the seats.

"Agreed, Forge."

Not long after the three had gotten settled, a boy with dreadlocks entered the compartment.

"Lee, this is Iffy, the girl we met in Diagon Alley," Fred introduced as Lee stowed his things. Lee grabbed Iffy's hand and shook it in the same fashion as the twins had when they first met. Iffy returned the gesture in kind.

"Pleased to meet you, sir Lee." Lee grinned and took his seat next to Fred, across from her and George.

"The pleasure is mine, dear Iffy." Fred and George exchanged bemused glances. "Have Fred and George mentioned much about me?"

Iffy shook her head.

"That's a shame, a real shame," he said, getting up and plopping down between her and George, pushing George over.

"Hey," George exclaimed, falling out of his seat.

"But they failed to mention how beautiful you were," Lee told her, leaning close. Iffy's face burned and she was sure the redness was clear as day as she leaned as far away from Lee as possible.

"Er," She glanced at Fred and George, looking for help. Neither of them looked very amused and George was the one to grab Lee's shoulder and pull him back away from Iffy.

"Don't mind him, he has a problem with personal space," George said as he pushed Lee back in the seat next to Fred and resumed his position on the seat next to Iffy. Her face cooled a little but she still felt uncomfortable with the looks Lee was sending her.

"Oi!" Fred yelled, smacking Lee upside the head. "She's our friend, mate, and we'd appreciate if you didn't scare her away."

"Yeah, she can tell us apart better than our own mother can," George said with a smirk, turning towards her. "How did you do that, by the way?"

"Oh," Iffy smirked, wondering if she should tell or keep it a secret. "Well, George has got a mole on his neck,"

She reached a finger out to poke the small, yet present, mole behind George's right ear.

"Fred doesn't."

The twins exchanged a glance before grinning.

"Wicked."

The three boys then went on to start explaining all of the finer points of Hogwarts, from the student's perspective Fred had told her.

"Just because you've read _Hogwarts, A History_,"

"And we're going to gloss over the fact that you've actually read it," Lee interjected.

"Doesn't mean you know everything there is to know about Hogwarts." At this point Iffy felt so anxious that she decided she should change into her uniform to give herself some time to calm herself down. She grabbed her things from her trunk and ran to the bathroom at the end of the car. When she returned she was pleased to see that the boys had changed as well while she had been gone. While her robes were all black, the boys' robes were all lined in dark scarlet, the red and gold lion patch on their chests signifying that they belonged in Gryffindor. Iffy yearned to sport the red and gold.

They also managed to plan their first prank of the year while Iffy sat and listened. She made a solemn promise not to divulge their secrets before they started but they were interrupted halfway through when a girl opened the door and peeked inside. She had brown hair and light skin and Iffy noticed that her hands were slightly shaking. Iffy felt a connection at that, knowing she would be even more a nervous wreck herself had she not met such splendid boys in Diagon Alley.

"Erm," she opened the door wider and smiled nervously at everyone. Iffy made sure to smile back when they made eye contact. The girl seemed to gain a little confidence and she let out a breath. "Hello, my name's Katie Bell. I'm a first year and don't know anybody. My dad said to find the first compartment full of Gryffindors, Ravenclaws and/or Hufflepuffs and ask if I could sit with you. Well, he said not to bother with Ravenclaws because he thinks they're stuck up but my mom got mad at him - she was a Ravenclaw-"

Katie suddenly stopped talking and her cheeks flushed a little pink.

"Sorry," she said with a chuckle, "my dad also said not to talk so much."

The boys glanced at each other and shrugged before turning to Iffy.

"What do you think, Iffy?" George asked. Katie looked at her and tried not to look like she was pleading too hard. Iffy looked between the boys to gauge their opinions - they were all smiling with a little bit of mischief in their eyes. Iffy had already started to learn that look while they were plotting against some Slytherins.

Iffy smiled and looked at Katie. "Well it's all about the first impression, right boys?"

"Right!" The three replied.

"I'd give her a 7/10, she was pretty nervous." Lee said, speaking to Fred, George and Iffy. The twins nodded.

"I agree, 7/10." said Fred. "George?"

"I'm interested to hear Iffy's score," George said, turning to her. "Iffy?"

"Well, I'll admit you could tell she was nervous." Iffy started. Katie seemed be a little disappointed. "But I think it took a lot of guts to enter a compartment full of strangers and just put yourself out there. 10/10 for me."

At that, Katie smiled at Iffy and stood up a little taller. George was nodding as everyone turned to him for his score. Katie, to her benefit, seemed to be going along with it, too.

"Yep, that's going to be a 10/10 for me as well. Welcome, Katie Bell." George said, gesturing for her to enter. Fred stood to grab her trunk for her and hoisted it in the racks above and Katie started to sit down next to Lee. Iffy quickly grabbed her hand and then scooted over so she was sitting closer to George before pulling Katie down on her left, next to the window. George smiled subtly at what Iffy had done and made more space on the bench for them all. Lee seemed to notice as well and he pouted at Iffy. She ignored him, hoping he was only playing, and turned to Katie.

"I'm Iphigenia Innes," she introduced herself, "first year, as well."

"Oh, great!" Katie grinned, shaking her hand. "Thanks for letting me sit with you all. I accidentally entered a cabin full of Slytherins and they wouldn't let me leave for a good while."

"Yeah, that happened to me last year." Lee said darkly. "I didn't get away at all, so good on ya. I'm Lee Jordan, 2nd year."

"Fred,"

"And George Weasley."

"Also 2nd year."

"Cheers!" Katie said. "So, uh, I couldn't help but overhear you all a bit before I knocked. Did I hear you right, that you're trying to prank the Slytherins at dinner tonight?"

George, Lee, Fred and Iffy all exchanged grins and nodded.

"The boys are," Iffy explained. "I'm just learning."

And so the train ride continued. At some point in time, two other girls stopped by to say hello, Angelina Johnson and Alicia Spinnet. Both were also Gryffindors in 2nd year and they squeezed themselves wherever they could fit as they weren't planning on staying long - Angelina sat between Fred and Lee and Iffy and George made room for Alicia to sit between them.

"You are looking even more exotic since last year, Angelina." Lee told her, leaning close. Iffy giggled and George leaned past Alicia to give Iffy a look.

"See?" He asked. Iffy nodded.

"Yes, I understand why you made me sit here now." Katie whispered in her ear. Iffy gave her a smile.

"I've got your back." Katie smiled back.

"Same."

"Hey you guys," Angelina said, pushing Lee away from her face as she addressed the twins. She obviously had some experience with Lee and his antics. "Most of the Gryffindor Quidditch team graduated last year so there's tons of spots open."

"No need to tell us," Fred told her, grinning.

"Yeah," George agreed, leaning forward. "McGonagall made Charlie captain this year. He's been beside himself all summer about the spots he needs to fill."

"Good part about it though is that he's been training with us." Fred said. Angelina grinned back at them.

"That's brilliant! Alicia and I have been practicing together over the summer, too. We're going to try out for chasers." Katie sighed wistfully.

"I wish I could try out, too bad first years aren't allowed." She said. Angelina appraised her and nodded.

"The last chaser graduates this year so you'll be able to try out next year." Angelina told her. "If you're in Gryffindor, anyway. But no matter which house you get into, there are usually always positions opening up."

Katie smiled.

"I'm sorry, but what's Quidditch?" Iffy asked, having been thoroughly confused during the entire exchange. All at once everybody turned to her in shock and she shrugged with a sheepish smile. "I'm a muggle-born, remember? Is it anything like football?"

The group spent the next hour explaining Quidditch to Iffy.

Angelina and Alicia stayed until after the trolley had passed. Everyone bought a little bit of something, except for the twins who had turkey sandwiches from their mom. Iffy thought they looked delicious and she felt her stomach grumble.

"What can I buy you that you'd trade me half a sandwich for?" She asked them. They gave her a look as if she were crazy.

"What?" Fred asked. "You're mad."

Iffy shook her head. "No, really, they look so good. My mom stopped making me sandwiches years ago. I could never make them that delicious myself."

They both seemed to glance at each other, almost as if they were having a conversation without words. When she put it like that she made it seem more like they were doing a favor for her. And honestly, what kind of mother doesn't make sandwiches for their kid? Quickly they came to a decision and they looked back at her.

"I'll take a Cauldron Cake for half of mine." Fred said, ripping his sandwich in two. Iffy nodded and stood to take the red coin purse out of her trunk.

"And I could go for a Pumpkin Pastie." George said, doing the same with his sandwich.

Iffy ended up buying Fred's Cauldron Cake, George's Pumpkin Pastie, a package of Fizzing Whizbees and three Chocolate Frogs. She returned, handing the twins a Chocolate Frog with their other treat and she eagerly took a half of each of their sandwiches.

Almost in no time the sky outside had turned dark and the train slowed down to a stop. The boys helped the two girls take their things off the train, leaving everything in a pile with the rest of the student's things. Then the boys turned to wave goodbye.

"You two are off with the giant," said Fred, a mischievous grin on his face as both Iffy and Katie exchanged looks of horror.

"Well, he's a half-giant, really," George said, looking thoughtful.

"Don't worry, he's a teddy bear!" Lee added. Katie and Iffy were still nervous but they chuckled to try and ease their anxiousness. George nudged Iffy with his elbow.

"Hey, this is another one of those moments. Don't sweat it."

And with that the boys were off with the rest of the older students towards a dense forest where Iffy thought she saw a bunch of horseless carriages sitting in the distance.

"Firs' years, firs' years this way!" They heard a loud gruff voice call over the rest of the chatter and the girls both turned to see the biggest, hairiest man either of them had ever seen.

"It's okay," Katie said, grabbing Iffy's hand despite sounding confident. "My mom told me about Hagrid, she said he's really nice. A teddy bear, just like Lee said."

Iffy took a deep breath, squeezed Katie's hand, and together the girls followed the other timid first years down a path to a dock at the edge of a dark lake. Waiting for the students were a dozen or so wooden boats, all without paddles. Iffy was thankful that it was a clear night, remembering the summer thunderstorms where she lived just a few days ago.

"No more than four to a boat," Hagrid called as all of the first years started piling into the boats. Iffy and Katie quickly hopped into an empty one and two boys followed behind them. Iffy was just starting to wonder how they were supposed to make the boats move without paddles when the boats started moving on their own. Her heart jumped with nervousness and she grabbed the side of the boat, as if that would help save her, and she heard one of the boys snicker behind her.

Trying to ignore the boy, Iffy's thoughts moved on to what George had said about this being another one of those moments and she knew he was referring to what he said to her before she got her wand. Reaching into her robe pocket she clutched her wand tightly, comforting her just knowing it was there even if she didn't know how to use it yet.

George had been right back then - Iffy didn't think she would ever forget that moment. She still thought about what Ollivander had said about her wand having a pair. Iffy figured the other wand must have already chosen another wizard, otherwise the wand maker wouldn't have been acting so funny about it, right?

Before Iffy could dwell on it any further, the boats came out from behind a cliff and the students got their first view of Hogwarts. Iffy's breath caught in her throat and she knew in that moment it was the most beautiful sight she'd ever seen. A large castle stood on a hill, overlooking the lake. All of the windows shown with light that reflected off of the still lake and bounced back up onto the students and other surroundings. Iffy was dazzled by the shimmering lights reflecting off of the lake and her breath escaped her at the beauty.

The boats docked as they approached the shore and the students all carefully exited the boats and followed Hagrid up another trail towards the entrance of the castle. He stopped in front of the large double doors and waited for all of the students to catch up. Katie and Iffy had managed to keep close to the front and they had a perfect view of Hagrid swinging the giant knocker on the door. One side of the double doors opened and Iffy couldn't help but grin when she saw Professor McGonagall standing there in emerald green robes and a fantastic matching witch's hat.

"The firs' years for ya, Professor." Hagrid told her. McGonagall nodded at Hagrid and moved to let him pass.

"Thank you Hagrid." She gestured for the first years to all follow her inside into the Entrance Hall and both Katie and Iffy made sure to stay at the front as they seemed to be some of the shortest in the bunch. Iffy tried to keep her attention on Professor McGonagall but she was entranced by all of the portraits adorning the wall and quickly noticed that they could move and talk! She even swore she saw a man from one portrait move to another portrait.

"Welcome to Hogwarts." Professor McGonagall started, looking around at everyone and stopping for just a moment as she exchanged eye contact with Iffy before addressing everyone. "My name is Professor McGonagall."

Everybody listened as she quickly explained the four houses and the points system. Iffy nodded along, it seemed simple enough and she had already read about everything in _Hogwarts, A History_. She was excited to see the enchanted ceiling in person which she had read was bewitched by Dumbledore himself to look like the sky outside and reflect the current weather. On a clear night like tonight she was sure it looked beautiful.

Before long, the large set of doors to the Great Hall were opened and the first years lined up to follow McGonagall inside. They walked between rows of the four large tables full of students and then stopped at the front of the hall where a stool sat with a big, old hat was perched. As soon as the first years had gathered at the front, a seam on the hat seemed to rip open and Iffy stared in shock as the hat began to sing.

_Another year begins anew_

_I promise you'll get sorted, true_

_First, please listen to my song_

_I'd hate for you to get it wrong_

_To Gryffindor, some will go_

_Where courage breeds and friendships grow_

_Godric founded his house on the bold,_

_Chivalrous, daring, but they rarely grow old._

_Now Ravenclaw is next in my tale_

_This studious group is rarely to fail._

_Rowena wanted minds that were nimble_

_With ideas that would fill more than a thimble._

_Hufflepuffs are one of a kind_

_Please don't think that they're non-aligned._

_Helga took in all she could swear,_

_Were loyal, hard-workers. They were just and played fair._

_Slytherin is last but certainly not least_

_Where cunning ambition fills up their feast._

_Salazar felt that pure blood was the best_

_If you find you agree, you'll be their next guest._

_So now hear me one, hear me all_

_While I sort out your minds, both great and small._

_The Sorting is ready, come put on the hat_

_It's really so easy, it's as simple as that._

Everybody in the Great Hall clapped politely for the hand and Iffy found herself following along. Once the hall quieted again, Professor McGonagall unrolled a parchment and cleared her throat.

"When I call your name, you will approach and sit on the stool and I will place the Sorting Hat on your head." She lifted the hat with her empty hand and consulted the list. "Bell, Katie."

Katie let out a squeak of nervousness and Iffy patted her shoulder. Iffy thought she would have hated to go first or last and she admired her new friends courage. Katie approached McGonagall and sat on the stool as they had been instructed. Iffy wasn't sure what she expected when the hat was put on Katie's head, but she giggled with a few others when it fell over her eyes. It was silent for a short moment and Iffy wondered what would happen next when -

"GRYFFINDOR!" The hat yelled. Iffy grinned as McGonagall lifted the hat off Katie's head and Katie gave Iffy a thumbs up before joining the table on Iffy's right. The next student that McGonagall called (Cresswell, Wymond) went up to the hat as Iffy watched Katie sit down with Lee, the twins, Angelina and Alicia. They all congratulated Katie before they turned back to the sorting and Iffy did the same. Wymond was sorted into Gryffindor, as well.

A few more students were sorted before, "Innes, Iphigenia."

Iffy took a deep breath and walked up to McGonagall and sat down on the stool. Just like Katie, the hat was too large and fell over Iffy's eye, obscuring everyone from her view. She expected it to be quiet until the hat shouted a house for Iffy to join as it had been like for all the other students when all of a sudden she started to hear a voice, it's voice, inside her head.

_'Hmmm, a bright young mind with a lot of potential. I see a lot of courage in you and a loyalty you could have only gotten from your father.'_ Iffy sat up in interest.

_'My father?' Iffy thought. 'But he was a muggle, too. How would you know?'_

_'A muggle, eh? I don't think so. No, the blood flowing through your veins has old magic that couldn't come from a muggle-born.'_

_'Who was he, do you know? You have to know, can you tell me?'_

_'Yes, I do know - how could I not? The question is, are you ready?'_

_'Of course I'm ready, this is my father we're talking about!'_

_'So it is. Doesn't matter at this time, I know what I need to do with you -'_

"GRYFFINDOR!" She heard her friends cheer for her but Iffy was distraught and wanted to keep talking to the Sorting Hat. Was her dad actually a wizard?! The Sorting Hat said he knew who her father was but why couldn't he just give her a name? She could have found out the rest.

Iffy realized that everyone in the hall was still staring at her and Professor McGonagall was nudging her to go and join her new housemates. So, Iffy stood up and slowly approached her friends in a slight daze, Fred and George nudging people over so she could sit between them.

"Welcome, officially, to Gryffindor!" Fred told her with a grin.

"Yeah, mate, you were taking forever to get sorted. Thought you might have been a hat-stall." George added. Iffy looked up at George curiously.

"A hat stall?" She asked. George nodded, half paying attention to the sorting as he talked to Iffy.

"Yeah, we had one in our year, took 8 minutes for the hat to finally put them in Hufflepuff." George told her, clapping as another student was sorted into Ravenclaw. He glanced at Iffy and frowned. "You alright? You're looking a bit peaky."

Iffy gave him a shaky smile and nodded. Now wasn't the time to discuss her unknown lineage.

"Yeah, still just anxious and now I'm getting hungry." She lied. George narrowed his eyes and Iffy wondered if he knew she wasn't telling the truth but then he grinned.

"No worries, as soon as the last bloke is sorted the feast will start." He smirked and leaned closer. "And then the fun begins."

Iffy chuckled and decided to put the Sorting Hat's words out of her mind for now. Perhaps that was something she could talk to McGonagall about later, along with the wand-pair. Iffy knew one thing for sure - she would definitely be more careful about what she wished for from now on.

Graham Montague was sorted into Slytherin and then Derrick Williams went to Hufflepuff before the sorting was finally over. Professor McGonagall took the stool and hat into a side chamber off the Great Hall as Dumbledore stood to address the Great Hall.

"Welcome to our new students and welcome back to those who are returning. I believe that now is not yet the time for a speech so I will save that for after everyone has filled their bellies. For now, tuck in!"

At those words, all of the empty platters and bowls that lined the house tables were suddenly filled to the top with mouth watering food of all kinds. Iffy saw sausages and roast chicken, pot roasts with roasted vegetables and mashed potatoes. There were salads and soup plus pitchers full of water, tea and what Fred told her through a mouth full of ham, was pumpkin juice.

Iffy didn't even know where to begin and she looked at Katie who was sitting across from her between Angelina and Alicia, to see that the girl was feeling just as overwhelmed as Iffy was. Finally, Iffy's stomach grumbled, and she decided that some roast chicken and vegetables sounded delightful before finally serving herself.

During dinner, the twins took it upon themselves to point out all of the teachers sitting at the head table for Iffy and Katie.

"There's Professor Sprout - she's head of Hufflepuff and teaches Herbology. She's one of the nicest and most easy going." Fred told her, pointing out the short and somewhat squat witch sitting next to McGonagall.

"Of course you know McGonagall," George said, pointing to her. "Then there's Dumbledore. He's a little odd but definitely knows more than he lets on."

As if he could hear their conversation, Dumbledore looked up and caught Iffy's gaze. He gave her a wink and a smile before he responded to something that McGonagall said to him.

"Woah," Iffy said.

"See what I mean?" asked George. Iffy nodded and then Fred continued.

"Next is Professor Flitwick, the little guy. He's head of Ravenclaw and teaches Charms. He's the fairest out of them and really only favors students who excel at Charms. Pisses the Ravenclaws off to no end, they feel like he should give them some sort of favoritism. All the others do, even McGonagall to some extent."

"There's also Professor Sinistra - she'll be teaching Astronomy."

"Professor Snape is head of Slytherin house and teaches potions,"

"Slimy git," George interjected. "Hates everyone except Slytherins. Despises Gryffindors the most."

That made Iffy a little nervous - she had been ultimately looking forward to potions the most all summer since Care of Magical Creatures would only be available as an elective starting her 3rd year. Now she was learning that her teacher already had a vendetta against her before she could even start his class because of her house.

Once Iffy had gotten her fair share of dinner the food all disappeared and then desserts took their place on the tables. Iffy almost cried because she had no room left for any of the treats surrounding her.

"If I take a cupcake with me for later, will it disappear with the rest of the food when it goes?" Iffy asked the twins. They shook their heads so Iffy grinned and grabbed a chocolate cupcake that had red cream cheese frosting on top, holding on to it just in case.

"Watch the Slytherins," Fred told her quietly. Iffy was glad she didn't have to turn around to see them, as that would have been slightly obvious, but she slyly looked from student to student as they divulged in their sweets. One by one, the Slytherins who had chosen the custard treats would open their mouths only to let out a horrible screech, like a bird.

Iffy laughed as more and more Slytherins tried screeching at each other and soon it sounded like there was a swarm of birds in the Great Hall. Soon the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws were pointing and laughing as well.

The Great Hall quieted except for the bird sounds and Iffy looked around her to see that everyone's attention was directed back to Dumbledore at the front. He had once more stood from his seat and taken his place at the podium. He waved his wand towards the Slytherin table and released them from the prank the twins had managed to pull off.

"Thank you for that bit of fun. Now that we've all had our fill, I have a few start of term notices to share with you all." He told them pleasantly, letting his eyes roam over all of the sleepy students and lingering on the Weasley twins. Iffy tensed with worry.

"Does he know?" Iffy found herself whispering to George in front of her while keeping her eyes on Dumbledore. He had shifted his body to face the front of the hall so he looked over his shoulder towards her with a shrug. With a quick look behind her at Fred she could see that he wasn't concerned either. Surely if Dumbledore knew he'd punish them, right?

"I know what you're thinking, dear Iffy," Fred whispered, leaning forward to talk quietly in Iffy's ear while he still kept an eye on Dumbledore. "Dumbledore probably knows it was us but there's no proof. Besides, really look at him. He was amused by it."

Iffy had to agree that Dumbledore looked anything but upset or angry and even though she had a problem believing that the headmaster would let something like that go unpunished, she figured that Fred and George probably had a bit of experience. She decided to trust them and she relaxed as she resumed listening to Dumbledore.

"You will find a list of all banned items outside Mr. Filch's office - I encourage all of you to read through it at your leisure. Hogsmeade visits are permitted to third years and above, please make sure to give your signed permission slip to your head of house before the first visit. I also have the great pleasure of introducing you all to your new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Lawrence Schirmer. I hope you will all treat the new professor with as much respect as you showed for your previous instructor."

Fred and George both snorted.

"That's easy," Fred muttered.

"Yeah, we didn't have any respect for Professor Melville." George added. Iffy found herself snorting.

"Well, with a name like Melville, who would?" The twins both held a hand out and Iffy gave them silent high-fives.

"Now I can see that your attentions are all waning - I daresay I too filled myself to capacity and find myself ready to rest it off. So I will turn you over to your prefects and I wish you all a goodnight."

With that, all of the students stood and Iffy found herself being shuffled along outside the Great Hall and up the stairs in the Entrance Hall. She noticed that the Hufflepuffs and Slytherins went downstairs instead of up like the Ravenclaws and Gryffindors.

"Where are we going?" Iffy asked the twins - as soon as the crowd had dispersed a little they had come up to stand on either side of her. She noticed Katie on the other side of Fred.

"Up to the Gryffindor dormitory." George told her. "All the house dormitories are in a different place in the castle - we managed to find them all last year except for Hufflepuff."

"I saw them go downstairs with the Slytherins." Iffy pointed out. The twins nodded.

"Yeah, we're fairly sure they're down by the kitchens but we haven't been able to get inside yet. Slytherin was the easiest to break into." Fred said.

"Yeah, their password is always something like 'pure-blood' or something else equally disgusting." George added.

"Ravenclaws are clever, you have to answer a riddle before you can enter. I think the statue knows when you're not in their house because they've always given us the hardest riddles." Lee said, having joined up with them. Fred and George nodded solemnly.

"Why do you want to go into the other dormitories anyway?" Katie asked. The three boys looked at her as if she had asked them to cut off their right hands.

"Do you know the endless potential for pranks there is with access to the dormitories?" Lee asked. Katie exchanged glances with Iffy who just shrugged with a smile. "Yeah, that's what I thought."

"Here we are, Gryffindors! Gather around." Charlie Weasley called out gaining everyone's attention. Iffy saw they were standing in front of a large portrait of a regal looking lady in a pink dress. "First years, this is the portrait entrance to our dormitory. We have a new password every month or so, you'll just tell the Fat Lady what it is and she'll gain you entry. Be careful that you're not out after curfew, she likes to go visit her friend Viola on the fourth floor so you'd be stuck waiting for her to return or someone else to let you in."

Iffy thought those instructions sounded easy enough.

"The password is currently 'jabberwocky'." Charlie finished, turning to the portrait of the Fat Lady. She smiled and held her hand out as if she were beckoning everyone to join her in her portrait, then the frame seemed to come off the wall from one side as the whole painting swung open to reveal a hole in the wall.

One at a time everybody crawled through the hole and once Iffy had come out the other side she was once again in awe of her surroundings.

"Welcome to the Gryffindor common room." Charlie announced.

Iffy looked around at everything - from the fire roaring in the fireplace, the comfy looking red couch placed in front of it with a few brown and scarlet arm chairs placed around it. The ground was covered in multiple red rugs, haphazardly placed. There were a few tables and chairs around the edges of the room that Iffy could imagine doing homework at. The last thing she noticed was the staircase leading up the tower that broke off into two, one to the left and the other to the right.

"You'll find your dormitories up the stairs," Charlie said, as if he knew where Iffy was looking. "Boys are up and to the left, girls are up and to the right. Boys, you should be warned that you will not be allowed into the girl's dorm. If you try, it will just be embarrassing for you and I'll be forced to take house points, so please just don't try it."

Fred and George snickered and Iffy turned to them, noticing Lee looked disgruntled and the twins seemed to be laughing at him.

"Did you try it last year?" Iffy asked him knowingly. Lee had the grace to look shameful and nodded. "What happens?"

George grinned. "The stairs go flat and turn slippery as an alarm goes off. Causes you to slide down and everyone to come out and see who tried."

Iffy would have laughed but she was suddenly so tired that she let out a giant yawn instead. Katie ended up yawning after her and the girls shared a smile.

"What do you say?" Katie asked. "Off to bed?"

Iffy smiled and turned to the boys to wave goodnight.

"Thank you for everything today, you guys." Iffy told them. "I guess we'll see you in the morning."

"We'll wait for you in the common room," George said as the girls started to head up their staircase. "Don't want you getting lost on your way down to breakfast."

The girls went up the staircase on the right, stopping at the first door which was labeled 'First Years'. Iffy grinned at Katie and the opened the door.

Inside the girls found five, four-poster beds that were placed around the room with the backboards up against the wall. Each bed had a trunk at the foot of the bed and Iffy smiled when she saw hers at the foot of the bed that was next to their window. Radagast sat in his cage that had been placed on one of the nightstands. Iffy went over to the window and was impressed with their view of the grounds, overlooking the lake and the forest and a large willow tree. She could see a little cabin at the edge of the forest with its lights on and she vaguely wondered who inhabited it.

"Well, I'm knackered," Katie told her, walking over to her own bed and pulling out her pajamas. Iffy yawned again and nodded as she followed her friend's lead.

She should try and get to sleep soon - they had classes tomorrow.


End file.
